Schock paying back city may depend on Obama

Monday

Sep 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMSep 29, 2008 at 7:02 AM

State Rep. Aaron Schock's campaign manager said Friday that if U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign pays the local costs of police and fire protection during a visit to Springfield last month, then they might consider doing the same for Peoria.

John Sharp

State Rep. Aaron Schock's campaign manager said Friday that if U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign pays the local costs of police and fire protection during a visit to Springfield last month, then they might consider doing the same for Peoria.

"If (Obama) ends up paying for it, things might change," Steve Shearer said, referring to $38,000 in city of Peoria costs for police, fire and public works services on July 25, when President George W. Bush visited for a private fundraiser for Schock, R-Peoria.

Schock, who is running for the 18th Congressional District seat vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, earlier this week said the request for his campaign to pay the money to the city is political.

"Up to now, policing wasn't considered a political activity," Shearer said.

A city of Springfield spokesman said the city, behind a policy of Mayor Tim Davlin, will charge Obama's presidential campaign approximately $50,000 for a visit to the Capitol City on Aug. 23 to announce that Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., would be his running mate.

Ernie Slottag, the city's spokesman, said a final bill is being generated and will go out to the Obama campaign soon. An Obama campaign spokesman declined to comment Friday.

"If it's a political event, we'll bill them," Slottag said, adding that it's been Davlin's policy to bill campaigns for local services rendered and that the city has not only billed Obama, but also President Bush when he visited Springfield in 2005 to dedicate the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Slottag didn't have information readily available on whether the White House in 2005 or the Obama team in 2007 paid for any bill from Springfield. Obama announced his candidacy for president on Feb. 10, 2007, in front of the Old State Capitol building.

Shearer questions if Obama paid for any bill sent to him in 2007. He also said "we'll see if they pay," in reference to the latest bill that is forthcoming from the city to the Obama camp.

"We'll see if Obama breaks precedent (of not paying for local police protection)," Shearer said.

Shearer also said he awaits any findings from the city of Peoria regarding past billing from other cities whenever a campaign uses local public services to protect a politician.

The Peoria City Council on Tuesday deferred for two weeks a vote on whether to bill the Schock campaign approximately $38,000.

"I think they should pay," 1st District Councilman Clyde Gulley said.

City staff members were asked by council members to examine what other communities have done in the past with regards to billing campaigns for the use of police, fire and public works services. They also asked if the city has a policy in place with regards to this issue.

According to records from the City Clerk's Office, the issue of billing a campaign has rarely come up. Some longtime employees also have said that they cannot recall any time the city has billed a campaign, or a U.S. president, for supplying local public protection.

In February 1976, the council debated whether to charge President Gerald Ford for a visit to Peoria. The discussion occurred during an agenda item about whether to charge parades requiring a police escort.

During the discussion, Councilman Bruce Brown inquired about the city's policy on charging for political candidates to come to Peoria. City Manager Robert Wright at the time said, "the city does not charge."

Other smaller communities have not charged high-profile politicians and presidents whenever they come to visit.

Galesburg city spokeswoman Sue Davidson said the city has not asked for reimbursements of former President Bill Clinton, who gave a commencement address at Knox College in 2007.

A Eureka College spokeswoman said the college's former chief financial officer informed her the college never considered billing President Ronald Reagan for any extra costs related to his visits in 1982, 1984 and 1992. In addition, the city of Eureka's administrator during the Reagan visits, Benny Arbuckle, said the city never asked for reimbursements, either.